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E June 11, 2009 15 PHOTOGRAPHER LAC Christopher Dickson spent his first six years in the Air Force as a plumber -- which probably makes his latest triumph all the more remarkable. Less than three years after remustering as an Air Force photographer, LAC Dickson has won the SQNLDR W.T. Riggs Perpetual Trophy for best offi- cial photo of the year. LAC Dickson submitted four photos, but his win- ning entry was a stunning shot of a 36SQN C-17 conducting an aerial display for the Warbirds Over Wanuka 2008 air show on New Zealand's south island in March 2008. "The mountains behind the airfield at Wanuka are spectacular," LAC Dickson said. "The backdrop is like something you see in Lord of the Rings -- and to see a massive C-17 dwarfed by the mountains was just amazing." This year, 14 photographers entered the com- petition, submitting 51 photos between them. The trophy was presented at the Air Force Awards night in Canberra on May 18. When LAC Dickson took the winning photograph, he was a member of 87SQN Air Mobility and Tactical Intelligence Flight (AMTIF) at RAAF Base Richmond. He is now posted to 1 Joint Public Affairs Unit in Canberra and, as this edition goes to press, is expected be on his way to East Timor on a four- month deployment. Air Force news pays tribute to our excellent pho- tographers by reproducing just a few of the high- calibre photos entered for the 2008 Riggs Trophy. erfect al Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster A41-207 conducts an Photo: LAC Christopher Dickson Former plumber taps best photo award SHOOTING STARS: Above, an RAAF F/A-18B Hornet and a Oregon Air National Guard F-15C Eagle in vertical climb off the coast of Port Stephens. The Eagle is punching out flares for the purpose of the photographic shoot. Photo: LAC David Gibbs OFFICE WINDOW: Left, FLTLTs Simon Grant and Lukasz Wijacha in the cockpit of a C-17 Globemaster. Photo: LAC Scott Woodward COAST WATCH: FSGT Dave Vreugdenburg scans the ocean for targets during 11SQN search-and-rescue training in the Gulf of St Vincent. Photo: ACW Shannon Urie from 75SQN and 2OCU fly with sport. Photo: LAC David Gibbs The SQNLDR W.T. Riggs Perpetual Trophy is awarded for the best official photograph in a calendar year. Unlike other categories in the Air Force Awards, the Riggs Trophy is a competition, hotly contested by mainly the photographer mustering, but is open to all members. Any 'official' photograph administered in accordance with the official policy on photography and taken during 2009 is eligible for next year's awards. Full entry criteria will be published later this year. SQNLDR W.T. Riggs Trophy